This invention is directed generally to paint-applying apparatus, and more particularly to a novel collapsible or knock-down painting cart, movable over a surface for applying paint in a desired pattern on desired portions of adjacent surfaces.
In many instance, it is desirable to apply stripes, patterns or other markings to ground and/or floor surfaces. For example, various stripes and patterns are applied to athletic fields or to parking lots, to factory or warehouse floors, and often to adjacent vertical surfaces as well. In this latter regard, it is often desirable to paint vertical surfaces of adjacent walls near corners or the like in factories or warehouses. Similarly, in parking lots it is often desirable to paint surfaces of relatively low curbs or other parking barriers. It may be additionally desirable to apply various symbols, markings, names or the like to the parking barriers or curbs. Moreover arrows, directions such as the words "IN" or "OUT", "NO PARKING" or the like may also be applied to appropriate portions of the parking lot surfaces, curbs or parking barriers, or other surfaces.
Heretofore, such stripes have been applied by relatively expensive and complicated striping machinery, while such other markings have generally been applied by hand with the use of suitable stencils and spray painting equipment. Some attempts have been made to provide a relatively small and inexpensive wheeled cart or cart-like apparatus for manually applying a continuous strip or stripe of paint to a ground or floor surface. However, this prior apparatus generally comprised a four-wheeled, solid-bodied cart which mounted a single spray paint container substantially centrally of the four wheels. This container was mounted pointed or aimed downwardly to distribute the paint to a surface generally centrally located beneath the cart itself. This striping cart also provided pairs of "masking" wheels having various spacings therebetween and mountable to the cart to roll on the ground or floor to either side of the paint outlet to control the width of the stripe.
The foregoing arrangement suffers from a number of problems. Initially, the volume of paint accommodated within a single spray-paint type of container is relatively small, such that the above-described cart arrangement requires relative frequent stoppage of work to replace the container. When working in a relatively large factory, parking lot or the like, it will be appreciated that substantial time may be spent in returning to a carton or other supply of containers each time a new container is needed. Similarly, the requirement of attaching a different set of masking wheels for each width of stripe to be applied is relatively messy, cumbersome and time-consuming.
Moreover, the arrangement of a relatively solid-bodied cart with the container received essentially centrally therethrough does not permit the operator to observe the paint as it is being applied. Hence, any irregularity in the desired stripe or pattern, inadequate paint application, or exhaustion of the paint supply will not be immediately seen by the operator. Hence, the operator must carefully repeat the application to the problem area, taking care to blend it in with the properly painted areas to either side thereof. Needless to say, such repainting or retracing can be relatively time-consuming.
Additionally, it is desired in many instances, as noted above, to apply some amount of paint to some vertical surfaces, curbs, parking barriers or the like. The prior art arrangement is not capable of application of paint to any vertical surface. Additionally, it may be desired to apply a stripe or pattern relatively closely to a vertical surface. However, the arrangement described above relases the paint substantially centrally of the cart and between the wheels thereof. Hence, it is not possible with this prior art arrangement to apply paint relatively closely to a vertical surface, such as at a corner formed by a horizontal floor and an adjacent vertical wall, for example.
Moreover, the above-described prior art painting cart structure comprised a generally unitary one-piece body having a handle rigidly attached thereto and projecting generally upwardly and rearwardly thereof. This structure is relatively bulky and space-consuming, hence making packaging for shipping difficult, for example. Moreover, the essentially one-piece construction makes storage and/or transport of the prior art painting cart relatively difficult, due to the relatively large amount of space required for the cart and projecting handle.